Lawn Care: Mowing, Watering, Feeding, Cleaning, Leaving In The Cold

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Lawn care

A well-groomed lawn should be bright, green, with dense turf, it should quickly recover from stress and be resistant to disease. Lawn maintenance is not very difficult. Do not try to do everything at once, some activities need to be done regularly, depending on the weather conditions, the time of year and the state of the lawn.

Mowing

Mowing is the main method of lawn care and not only keeps it looking good, but also helps control weeds, most of which are intolerable to mowing. Cutting regularly from mid-spring to mid-autumn also stimulates plant development. Cutting height on an ordinary lawn should be at least 4 cm, on a parterre - at least 3 cm. For each cut, cut no more than 3-4 cm of grass. If the area is heavily overgrown, then mow several times, gradually reaching the desired height. Cutting is stressful for the plant and the grass recovers more easily when you cut it a little (2-4 cm). Regular watering is very important. Before creating your lawn, plan ahead for a watering method or plan your irrigation system without relying on rain. The subsurface irrigation system is very convenient, but it can be arranged only in regions with warm winters.

Watering

Moisture is one of the most important conditions for the growth and development of perennial lawn grasses, and in hot and dry weather it is decisive. It is especially needed on light sandy soils with deep groundwater. Rainwater quickly passes through the upper layer into deeper layers, and the root system of grasses located in the upper soil layer lacks moisture. Always water in the evening, as the water will be well absorbed into the soil during the night. In this case, moisture will be absorbed not only by the upper roots of plants, but also by roots located in deeper layers of the soil. When watering during the day, strong evaporation occurs, and you will not achieve the desired effect. Water generously to get the ground wet to a depth of 10 cm, watering alternately, but avoid puddles as some types of grasses cannot withstand flooding. For a faster recovery of the grass, it is better to water immediately after cutting, sowing, overseeding.

Top dressing

Top dressing is obligatory both on infertile soils as a source of nutrients necessary for plants, and on fertile ones - to enhance the development of the root system of herbs, increase the density. Lawn fertilizer should contain nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements. They are applied during the entire growing season, the frequency of fertilizing depends on the condition of the lawn and soil fertility. Top dressing after clipping is especially desirable, they must be combined with watering, and nitrogen should prevail in the fertilizer in spring and summer, and phosphorus and potassium in early spring and autumn. It is better to use granular fertilizers, which are scattered over the soil surface before watering. Top dressing with pure nitrogen fertilizer is best done through the leaves and stems of plants, spraying a solution of corbomide (urea) in the required proportion over the lawn. After this treatment, the lawn is not watered during the day.

Lawn cleaning

To clean the mowed lawn of felt and other organic material accumulated over the season, it must be raked. To keep the lawn in perfect condition, it is necessary to trim the edges, remove debris, and pierce with a garden fork to a depth of 10-13 cm.

Lawn in cold weather

In autumn, in wet weather, the top layer of the soil is excessively saturated with moisture, when frost sets in, this sometimes leads to the formation of a ground crust, that is, a layer of ice on the soil surface, which sometimes reaches 10 cm in depth. This has a detrimental effect on the root system of plants, as a result of which they do not tolerate winter well. Drainage (pricking) and aeration of the topsoil will help to avoid such waterlogging. In winter, it is not necessary to disturb the forming snow cover on the lawn; It is better to ski, play, walk with pets on it with a snow layer of at least 20–25 cm. To prevent plant roots from freezing in blown areas with a thin layer of snow, it is recommended to carry out snow retention. In winter, sometimes wet snow or rain falls, after which the snow cover of the site is covered with an ice crust,preventing the penetration of oxygen to breathing plants and contributing to the accumulation of carbon dioxide under the crust. To prevent such "strangulation" of plants from happening, break the ice crust with a rake.

Improper watering

Watering often and in small portions does nothing. With this watering, the soil is moistened only from above, and only the roots located near the surface receive moisture. In this case, the lawn suffers from dryness and burns out on hot days.

Proper watering

Water the soil until it is saturated with moisture to a depth of 15 cm, and the roots will have an incentive to deepen. This is important, as the plants will be able to extract moisture from deeper layers, thus the lawn will not burn out too quickly in the heat.